*Photo from 1st Ohio Battery*
Forward Kent Johnson has signed a 3 year, $5.4 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to an announcement by the team.
When the new league year began July 1, Johnson became a restricted free agent as his entry level contract expired. After his season was cut short due to shoulder surgery, Johnson will make $1.8 million annually on his new deal. He'll be an RFA again when this deal expires after the 2026-2027 season.
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said in a statement "Kent Johnson is an exciting young player with tremendous upside, and we are happy that he will continue to grow and develop as a Blue Jacket. He is just beginning to scratch the surface of what he can be as a player, and we believe he will be a very important part of our hockey club moving forward."
Last season, Johnson was limited to 42 games in the NHL, as he played in the AHL briefly before suffering a season ending injury. In those 42 NHL games, he posted 6 goals and 10 assists while averaging 13:33 of ice time per game, adding a -2 rating.
Johnson has played in parts of 3 NHL seasons with the Blue Jackets after being chosen with the 5th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Michigan. He has 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points to his name, posting a -19 rating while averaging 14:03 of ice time per game across 130 regular season games. He hasn't played in the postseason in his career.
With Johnson signed, the only RFA the Blue Jackets need to agree to terms with on a contract is forward Cole Sillinger. The team has just under $11 million in remaining cap space.
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